Cats
by Yumeshojo
Summary: Rui takes his team to America for a Football camp, and finds that no one there speaks Japanese - except the infuriating daughter of the proprietor, Peagan, who rubs him in all the wrong ways. But when Rui finds himself in grave danger, he discovers there might be more love in their love-hate relationship than he wants to admit. RuixOC. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: 私が所有していないと、この物語、それが参考にした知的財産のお金をオフ作っていないです。 ...Yep, still fun :)**

**I cannot believe it took me four years to write this story. Ulg. It flowed so easily when it started, and then it pittered off and I am so extremely glad to be done with it. It was my first experiment using a guy's perspective, and switching back and forth between two narrators. I hope it's not too confusing, like I said, it's an old piece and an experiment. I still really like it though, the characters were a blast! I loved the chemistry~ That being said, the ending...isn't what I wanted. In fact, it's been so long I don't even remember what I wanted. So if it seems...sudden, that's because it probably is, but I've had this sitting around for four years with no work being done on it, so I decided it was time to post 'as is' and be done with it. I did try, though, so I really hope it doesn't disappoint.  
**

* * *

"Okay, this is seriously ticking me off." Rui slammed his fist down on the front counter, scaring the man behind it. "We booked this training camp months ago! We spoke to someone in Japanese then! So why the crap aren't you speaking Japanese now?!"

The man behind the counter merely continued to stare at him, not understanding in the slightest.

"I did not waste all the effort, time, and money to get us to this camp only to find no one speaks Japanese! Someone understood us well enough to take our money, so so help me, someone had better follow through with this deal or else-" Rui reared back, wishing he had a crowbar. "We are gonna tear this place apart."

Behind him, Rui's team started closing in, cracking knuckles and glaring.

The man behind the counter seemed to be getting the idea that this was taking a very bad turn, and motioned with his hands for calm. Then he turned and gave a yell towards the back. Rui waited, albeit impatiently, until someone else entered the room.

* * *

Peagan, having had headphones in, hadn't heard any of the ruckus. But after so long on the job, she had learned to keep an ear open for her father's voice, as he was getting on in years and not in the best of health. But it was easy to tell the problem without him even explaining when she spotted the group of Asian men standing in front of the counter.

"About time!" The one in the lead spat, and Peagan couldn't help but notice his tongue flicker a bit farther than was normal.

_Like a lizard_. But she dismissed it. It wasn't like she was completely normal, either.

Instead, she went to her father's side and, leaning against the counter with her back to the visitors, she asked "What's the problem?"

* * *

The first thing Rui noticed about the apparently teenage girl who'd just entered was her eyes. She was obviously Japanese, with long, silky black hair and the signature Asian eyes, but she was obviously not completely Japanese, either. Her hair had a wave to it, and said eyes were bright green.

The second thing Rui thought of was a cat.

The third thing he thought of was all the times Megu had told him not to pull his punches just because a person was a girl. Because when this girl turned her back on him in obvious disrespect, he immediately wanted to hit her.

But he held his fists to himself, because she was called into the room for a reason. So maybe now that she was here, something would get done.

Right?

* * *

Peagan's father was speaking to her rapidly, and she nodded easily in contrast with his avid worry.

"Could you please find out what's going on, Peagan? I think your mother must have booked them, but that would have been months ago, and I don't know-"

"I don't want to talk to him." Peagan decided instantly. "He seems like a jerk. I don't like the way he's treating you."

Her father groaned to himself. "Peagan, please. If your mother booked them, then I don't want to dishonor her arrangement."

"Ouch." That stung, and Peagan knew her dad knew it, too. He was too used to Peagan's little fits of character judgements to not be beyond using dirty methods to get her to do what needed to be done.

* * *

"What's taking so long?" Rui snapped, growing aggravated with the old man's continually worried expression and that weird girl's glare. "Hey, girl! If you can understand me then will you get over here and tell me what's going on?!"

The girl's eyes narrowed. With her chin reared back and a demeaning look, she replied, pronouncing each syllable carefully, "I don't understand Japanese."

And with that, she turned on her heal and left the room.

Rui let out an angry howl after her, and proceeded to smash in the nearest coffee table.

* * *

Peagan stared out the window to her room on the second story and watched with bored interest the group of Japanese boys out in the training area, rolling out the sports equipment. A couple of the instruments she recognized. _American Football, huh? That's ironic, seeing as they don't speak English,_ Peagan thought with a snort.

But she frowned again as she watched them.

In the end, her father had managed (with her grudging help, as he had come racing after her) to figure out who these boys were and find the record of their reservation and prepayment. It was all there, all legit. These guys were from a Japanese University, and had definitely booked ahead with Peagan's mother for a summer of sports training at their famous, discreet sports camp. But she could already tell by the glint in her cousin's eyes that these guys were either good or had a lot of potential, because he was very excited to be training them, that much was obvious.

And she had to admit, they were pretty cool to watch. Peagan fancied herself more of a baseball fan, but she'd grown to love any and all sports – being brought up in a sports camp, and all. It was the family business, and all the relatives had been thrilled when Peagan's mom had taken the initiative to expand their enterprise to her own home country. But that was long over now - or so they had all thought.

No one else but Peagan spoke a lick of Japanese, after all, and Peagan was about to start her senior year in high school. She couldn't take the time that was needed to keep the business available to the Japanese.

She remembered helping her mother do that very job, though, and found she was disappointed in herself. Slowly but surely, she was loosing her connection to her mother's home. These boys would probably be the last Japanese customers they ever housed.

It was that thought that broke her.

* * *

It was hours later when Rui finally called a lunch break, and the whole team collapsed onto the benches. He allowed himself to do the same, but with much more composure and a bit away from the others. He had to set an example, after all.

He was burning up, so his whole body went through a shiver when something cold pressed against his left cheek. It felt great, though, and he turned his face to press his forehead against it.

When he finally opened his eyes and looked up, he found a vitamin enriched water was what was cooling him off, and it was being held to his head by that green eyed girl from the night before. He reached up and took hold of the bottle himself so she could let go.

"Ah, thanks." Momentarily forgetting he was supposed to be angry with her, Rui twirled off the cap and downed half the drink in one gulp.

* * *

Peagan was surprised at herself. When she'd pressed the drink to his face, she'd expected him to get rowdy with her, like yesterday. But apparently he was too pooped to pay that much attention to who she was - all he wanted was the cold refreshment.

She actually caught herself smiling at his sweat drenched face as he'd turned around to press his head to the bottle, his eyes closed in relaxed relief. Luckily, she'd wiped the smile away before he'd opened his eyes.

But when he'd merely said thank you and gulped down the drink, she'd caught herself, once again, doing something she didn't like.

He'd reared his head back to take the swig, bearing his shirtless chest, which dripped with perspiration. _This should be gross,_ Peagan commented to herself. _This should be very gross. I've seen guys come out of training like this a hundred times, and it was always gross._

Peagan wanted to growl at herself. Because she didn't think he looked gross at all. She actually thought he looked kinda sexy.

_It's probably because he's Japanese. I've never had an interest in American boys, so that has to be it. I want a Japanese boy, because I want more of a connection to Mom's home, that's all._

But that sounded pretty pathetic even to Peagan as he finally let out a gasp and brought the bottle away from his face, twirling the top back on and wiping away the sweat from his brow with his arm.

_He's got really long arms_, Peagan noticed - and then chided herself for noticing anything about him at all.

* * *

Rui gave her a quizzical look, as he wasn't sure why she was staring at him with that blank expression. Her arms were crossed, but she didn't look mad anymore...ah, who cared? He didn't - or so he told himself. He shook the bottle at her and gave his thanks in English - it was one of the few phrases he knew, and he wasn't sure if she'd understood him the first time. She had said, in perfect Japanese, that she didn't understand Japanese the day before, so he wasn't sure what part of that he was supposed to believe.

That was when he noticed the coolers - two big ones on wheels - behind her. He pointed to them, then shook his bottle again.

She raised her eyebrows at him, but nodded, turning to open one of the coolers. Inside, it was packed with ice and more vitamin water.

Rui whistled. "Hey, scoundrels! I got drinks over here - first come, first serve!"

Immediately, the other team members shot off the benches, falling over each other to get to the cooler.

Worried she would get trampled, Rui grabbed hold of the girl and pulled her back towards him and out of the way of the onslaught.

She gazed up at him over her shoulder, those big green eyes once again reminding him of a cat. What wasn't cat-like, however, was her pale, smooth skin and lightly parted lips.

She said thank you, breaking Rui's stare. He let her walk towards the coolers again, confused once more as to whether she spoke Japanese or not - because she'd said thank you in English, but with a natural Japanese accent, making it sound more like "Sankyu."

* * *

Peagan tried not to think about how warm his hand had been on her arm, or how she had practically felt the heat from his body when he pulled her to him. She was being way to self conscious around this guy - and she still didn't even know his name.

She rolled her eyes at herself. It was only because that was the closest she'd ever been to any guy besides her dad or someone she was decking during Karate practice.

Or maybe she just found him attractive. Nothing wrong with that. She was a young woman, and had every right to think a college football player was hot.

With those thoughts swimming in her head, she fumbled through the second cooler and turned back to him, holding out a bento box. She was very proud of her cooking skills, something she had inherited from her mother, and despite making so many of the darn things all the time, she still took great care with each one.

She was instantly mad at herself again when she realized she'd made this one special, with bigger portions and more care than usual. Not that a football junkie would appreciate that.

* * *

_A bento? She brought us drinks _and _lunch?_ Rui took the box slowly, eying is suspiciously while the rest of the team gathered round, anticipating their own boxes.

"Back off, trash!" He hissed at them.

Then he went back to his box, opening it up to take a look. It had three layers, and the top was well balanced: rice, sushi rolls, a brown pasta, egg rolls, meatballs, and assorted fresh veggies. The second layer had more pasta, as well as strips of seasoned meat that looked cooked to perfection, and a side of steamed veggies. The bottom layer seemed to be more for snacking later, with rice balls, small sandwiches, skewered wieners, and lemon slices lathered in something thick and sweet smelling. Honey?

"Habashira-san, do we all get one?" By now Rui's team was practically drooling over his shoulders at his food.

"Aah?" Rui glowered at them, but gave in. "Did you think you were getting part of mine? Of course you get your own – now get outa my face!"

Another attack on the camp's poor coolers ensued, and Rui watched in amusement while munching on an egg roll. It was really good.

And it didn't take a genius to notice his box had more care taken with it, and more food in it. He watched his team gobble it down without a second glance at his box, but Rui noticed. And he cocked his eyebrows at the green-eyed girl, waving it in front of her nose. "Bigger. Do you understand that?"

Staring down at her, Rui saw fire in all that green.

* * *

_He's demeaning me, the jerk. "Bigger." Small words for the apparently stupid little half Jap? I should slap him._ But, in the end, Peagan didn't, because it was her own fault he thought she was stupid. _I don't even know why I'm pretending not to speak Japanese. He doesn't seem like a _complete _jerk, after all. This would all be so much easier if I would just translate strait up already._

..._but...nah, I'm having too much fun_.

Peagan smiled warmly and nodded. "Apology."

"I didn't want an apology!" He spat back, getting frustrated. He was cute when he was frustrated, Peagan thought with a gleeful smile. "I wanted to know _why_!"

Peagan feigned ignorance, raising her eyebrows like she didn't get it. "Why?"

"Yes, why!"

In crisp English that he didn't understand a word of, Peagan replied. "Because I'm having _fun._"

"ARG! I don't get what you're saying, woman!"

Peagan couldn't help but laughing, so she started back to the house at a skip, not bothering to explain her sudden humor – though she doubted it could be misunderstood.

"SHE'S FREAKING MOCKING ME, I KNOW IT!"

* * *

And throughout the rest of the week, Rui never doubted that statement. While still severely annoyed with the girl, he was getting used to her popping up no matter where he was. That in and of itself should have been annoying, but in truth it gave Rui an excuse to blow off steam, and was even a bit fun, if he was willing to admit it to himself – it seemed like she knew just when to stop annoying him and do something to cool his nerves, like show up with some sort of peace offering, which usually included food, water, and/or sports equipment. She even voluntarily did their laundry, and Rui had no idea if that was part of her job or if she was just that _weird_.

Something that _did_ annoy Rui, however, was how the pretty girl was distracting his team. Seeing as she liked to come out and watch them train when she wasn't working, the guys all liked to be a bunch of retarded show offs when her big greens were watching them. She would laugh at them, of course, but she was never deliberately distracting to them and would even leave if things got too out of hand (not that Rui couldn't handle it, of course). No, the only time she was deliberately distracting was when Rui himself was watching her – something he did more than he wanted to admit.

He still wasn't sure if she actually spoke Japanese, but he was sure that she understood him pretty well, whether it was just his expressions and body language or not. Sometimes, he even felt like he was being toyed with for her amusement – like a cat batting around a stuffed mouse, just to watch it roll, as if it had a chance of escape.

Rui didn't like being _anyone's_ toy, but found that trying to scare her only resulted in a cocky grin, as if she had won. He couldn't stand that, for the most part. The other, smaller part thought her cool attitude was dang sexy for a high-school girl.

_Since when have I _ever _thought of a girl as sexy? _Rui growled to himself, kicking the nearest bench. _Every since my brother started playing American Football, that was what I wanted to do. That was what I concentrated on. That was what consumed me. The only girl that ever mattered was Megu, and that was because she was the manager. I never looked at her like _that_ – I never looked at _any _girl like that._

Staring across the field at the green eyed girl, Rui ground his teeth angrily at her easy smile. _...maybe it's a college thing. I hear people get _weird _in college..._

* * *

Peagan was both flattered and annoyed that Rui still hadn't figured out her name, and only addressed her as "Woman." She was sixteen, and no one had ever referred to her as a woman. But Habashira Rui not only referred to her that way, it seemed to be the only way he thought about her, too. When he wanted to someone to fetch her for something, he told them to fetch what was almost implied to be "_The _Woman," like it was her title. And, of course, everyone knew who he meant. It was like Peagan was, to Rui, the _only _woman.

The thought made Peagan giggle girlishly, and she cursed herself. But she knew she had on her best devilish grin – and she knew that was the expression Rui seemed to like best on her, despite it always making him start shouting. Oh yes, Peagan enjoyed the little dance they did, knowing full well _she _was flirting with him, and baffled at the discovery that he had no idea that that was what _both _of them were doing.

_Ah, boys. They truly are oblivious to the female mind. _ Peagan nipped her finger nail – a habit she did when she was feeling playful – and smiled at the irony that she referred to Rui as a boy instead of a man. Because he _definitely _was a man.

_And maybe part lizard_. Peagan was giggling again, and was silently thankful that she was stowed away in her room, hidden from the world and secretly watching Rui practice. Not even Rui's team, just Rui. She had stopped trying to delude herself that she didn't like him days ago. And after a little over a week at the camp, Peagan felt happier than she could ever remember being – even with her mother.

That thought almost completely wiped out her good mood. She wasn't too sure that being _that _happy was a good thing. Because Rui and his team were only here for the summer, and Rui had made no move to say he was even remotely interested in her romantically – or even for a fling. And if she was _that _happy being with this guy, when she had loved her mother more than anyone in the world...

Then that meant she was probably falling in love with him. And that was not going to turn out well.

Down below, out the window, Rui was shouting orders to his team, Peagan watched him silently. After a moment, Rui scratched the back of his neck, and then glanced up at her window.

Meeting his eyes, Peagan wondered if she really was in love for the first time.

And if it was already starting to end in her first heart break.

* * *

By now, Rui was used to that feeling on the back of his neck. It meant she was watching him again, and while he couldn't figure out why she did it so often, it barely bothered him. It had made him angry, of course, at first. Distracting was what it was. He was in the middle of practice, and he couldn't concentrate with his neck burning under her green eyed stare. So, he did what was usually the only thing that helped: rubbed his neck and met her gaze. This time, she was up in her room, watching from the window – not unusual for her at this time of night.

She usually grinned at him and waved. This time, she looked blank. He had no idea what was hidden behind that face, and he hated it when she did that. But after a moment, she merely turned away from the window where he couldn't see her anymore.

"Tch, stupid woman." It had never bothered her before when he'd caught her staring, so that couldn't be why she left. _Maybe she's just busy_. _Why do I even care?_ Annoyed despite himself, Rui tried to go back to yelling at his teammates to make him feel better. It only worked a little bit.

"That's it, screw this." After another hour, Rui was sick of just about every living person in the world, whether he knew them or not. He just wanted to get away, and so he decided rather abruptly to do just that. "You morons clean this trash heap up, I'm going for a ride and no one had better bother me _ever_!"

Growling to himself as he stormed around the building, Rui slung himself over his bike with ease and gunned it without a moment's hesitation. He always felt his best when he was on the road or on the field, and since practice wasn't making him feel any less angry, the wind and the pavement was his best bet.

Thunder rumbled across the dark sky, immediately ruining the small sense of calm that had started to form in him. _Great, just great! I go for a ride, and a storm roles in! I hate everything!_

He sped up, ignoring the turn that took him into a big cemetery and the trees that flashed on both sides of the road, seeing only the dark clouds ahead and the aged blacktop stretched out before him. Twenty minutes later, it was pouring. Thirty, and he was not only drenched, but could barely see a foot in front of him, let alone anything else. To his credit, he'd turned around after the rain had started, but he had barely left the training camp in the week and a half he'd been there. Needless to say, he had no idea where he was, and wouldn't have been able to read a street sign – if there had been any, which he didn't think there was – if it was right next to him.

Common sense told him to pull over and wait out the weather, but there really wasn't anywhere to wait at. On either side of the road was a large ditch, and from there a slew of spaced out trees that passed for a rather open forest. And for summer, all the trees seemed defiantly bare. So one way or the other, Rui wasn't getting out of this rain, so he figured he might as well slow it down but continue driving towards where he _thought _he had come from. There hadn't been two many forks and turns, after all.

And about the time he had that thought, he road jerked in an abrupt turn, and his reflexes, while finely honed, couldn't make the heavy motorcycle compensate fast enough.

It went down on it's side in the attempt to be steered, and skidded across the pavement and off into the ditch with Rui's left leg being trapped and torn under the weight of the bike and the friction from the road. He had only momentary relief when the bike went flying and his injured limb was free, and then he hit the muddy hillside. The breath went out of him, his neck seared with pain, his arm folding under him as he vainly tried to catch himself, and he rolled down the embankment. When he was finally stopped, with a painful thunk, by a tree trunk, he barely had time to open his eyes before his bike came hurtling into him.

* * *

Peagan was a bit miffed to find Rui not with the rest of the football team when she brought down their dinner. When she came back to collect the dirty dishes, she was aggravated that no one had left him any food. An hour after that, she was starting to worry a tad when she dropped of their now clean laundry. By one o'clock, only two members of the team were still awake – and they were getting worried, too.

Peagan listened to them talk while they sat in the foyer, watching the storm for Rui to return on his bike. It was one thing, she had gathered from their conversation, for Rui to take off on a ride for a few hours. It was quite another for him to be out in a storm where he could catch a cold or get injured. Rui loved playing football too much to risk his health like that (though beating someone down never seemed to even register as remotely dangerous), and he was even more likely to come back quick if he thought the guys would slack off and get rowdy – which they had, at one point during his absence.

No, this just wasn't like their fearless leader, and these two, at least, admired their captain too much to be able to just eat their fill and conk out. And Peagan was starting to get upset.

She'd been telling herself earlier that she needed to reign in her pathetic crush, because she really wasn't up for getting her heart broke over a guy who couldn't see anything that wasn't wearing a football uniform and was only going to be around for another month or so. She had been looking forward to testing her new resolve to not like him, not flirt with him, and not stare at him, and had been merely miffed when she couldn't find him. But now – now she didn't care if she was just some inn keeper's daughter getting gushy over a temporary tenant.

Because if Rui was out there in this thunder storm, a cold was the least of her worries.

"Maybe we should go look for him..."

The other player shook his head. "Like we could find anything in that darkness and rain. It's black as pitch, and we don't even know the area. We'd be more likely to get lost than Habashira-sama."

"Then I guess...what? We just trust that he can take care of himself?"

"That's all we can do. And before you ask, I'm not happy about it, either."

_Neither am I_, Peagan thought, trying to ignore the irrational urge to start balling. She had always been such a crybaby as a child, to her parents' shock, her father had told her. She could smile like a beauty queen, and then have the world's best poker face for hours only to suddenly start wailing like a siren. Peagan was all the extremes of the emotional yardstick, and then some. But now was not the time for that.

_No, now's the time to learn to ride a motorcycle_.

"Hey."

The two players turned around, seemingly surprised to find her there. They were even more surprised when she asked, in crystal clear Japanese, for a set of keys.

* * *

Rui couldn't figure out if he was sinking into the mud under the weight of the motorcycle, or if it was just raining so hard that the water level in the ditch was rapidly rising. Or both. But he didn't really care about the answer, just how to make it stop, one way or the other. Because it was getting harder to keep his neck held up in order to prevent to dirty water from drowning him.

His right arm – the one that _didn't_ hurt – was trapped under him, pinned against the tree by his back like he was pinned by the bike. And his left hand that he'd tried to catch himself with was throbbing and just couldn't muster up the strength to push the bike off with only the one arm. And he should have been able too, darn it all. That didn't bode well for his injury.

It didn't help that his left leg was trapped somewhere under the bike – and pressed between two cold, metal objects he couldn't see through the water. And as for his right leg, which had been skinned badly when the bike had leaned over and slid across the road, he had lost the feeling in it a while back, though he couldn't be sure how much time had passed.

It felt like hours. But that was probably just because he was alone, trapped in a ditch under a motorcycle in a thunder storm out in the middle of the woods on a deserted back road in the dead of night, and his neck muscles were screaming at him in warning that, eventually, he wouldn't be able to keep his face out of the water that he was forced to stare strait down at.

He wavered a bit, and a gush of the stuff went up his nose before he could hoist himself back up again. He turned his head the best he could as he coughed it all back up, aware of the handlebars of his bike trying to push his face back down.

_This is insane_, was all Rui could think in his rising panic. _Insane. Crap like this just doesn't happen. I'm a college football quarterback and a friggin gang leader – this can't possibly be real, can't be happening to me. If this keeps up, if this keeps up-_

If this kept up, Habashira Rui's neck, shoulder, and stomach muscles were going to give out under the weight of his motorcycle. And then his head was going to fall forward into the filthy, murky mud-water.

And he was going to drown.

* * *

Peagan had rode a dirt-bike before, when a trainee had brought his with and taught her to ride in a useless attempt to woo her, and decided that that counted for motorcycle experience, and lied to Rui's poor, worried lineman without batting an eye. Oh yes, she'd rode a bike before, and could handle his. And since she knew the area like the back of her hand, she was just about the only one who could ride out there with a hope of finding Rui.

So he'd handed a set of keys over and pointed out which bike they went too. And then she told her father, in a flippant way that would have suited chatting about the weather, that she was going out into the storm to find a missing tenant, and if she didn't check back in then that just meant reception was bad. No need to call in the cavalry.

Obviously Peagan wasn't thinking too clearly, despite her calm and determined demeanor, or she'd have thought about the fact that she couldn't possibly get both herself and Rui onto her motorcycle if he was injured. Or what would happen if she herself had a wreck.

Those were the kinds of things her father was yelling at her back as she revved the engine and sped out into the storm.

But while her own foolishness was potentially more than just stupid, if it had been anyone but Peagan on that road in the middle of the night, they probably wouldn't have noticed the missing patch of flowers that used to grow on the edge of that sharp turn about six miles out. Peagan had always noticed them, because they were the only flowers on the way to the cemetery – which was the only thing out at this way for miles if you didn't make the turn to go into town about two miles back.

She'd visited the cemetery pretty often in the passed couple of months, and those white flowers, shaped like trumpet horns, with their yellow tongues sticking up, had always drawn her eye. But tonight, where they were supposed to be, there was instead a brown patch of mud and a steady stream of water going off the road and into the ditch.

Hope and fear both pumped through her as she threw it into neutral and started backing it up, only to get impatient and hop off, turning the bike around and pushing it beside her so the headlights could illuminate her path.

The headlight busted when it hit the pavement, because the moment Peagan spotted Rui's bike down in the ditch, she dropped her own ride and went sliding down the embankment towards it. The light flickered but, thankfully, stayed on as she slipped and went tumbling into Rui's machine, but she was back up and pulling and the handlebar within seconds. Because now she could see a hand resting limply on the cold metal.

For a girl, Peagan knew she had a bit of muscle on her from sports, but it wasn't enough to pull the bike completely off of him and she knew it – not knee deep in muddy-water on a downhill slope with no footholds. So instead she went around the the front of it and tried to shove herself up under the hunk of metal to push it off. That was when she _really_ found Rui, floating in the muddy water.

With rain and mud running down her face, Peagan stared, gasping for a moment, as the mat of dark hair that was visible in streaks amidst the brown.

It was until after she'd somehow managed to pull his limp body out from under the motorcycle that she realized she was screaming. Thunder rumbled over head, drowning her out mostly anyway.

Oblivious to any of his injuries, Peagan threw him up against the embankment vertically, and almost immediately he started to slide back down. But Peagan planted her knees on either side of his thighs, holding him in place with her own body, and pressed her palms to his sternum. It wasn't the ideal position for CPR, but since the nearest flat surface was the road and Peagan knew she couldn't pull him up that muddy slope, she did the best she could where she was.

_One two three four five_-

It had been years since her CPR class, and just as long since she'd actually had to use the skill, so Peagan went on shear instinct and adrenaline. She pressed her mouth to his and practically shoved the air down his throat. And then she started pushing again.

_One two three four five_-

BREATHE.

_One two three four five_-

BREATHE.

_One two pound pound pound-_

BREATHE!

_Pound pound pound pound pound-_

_BREATHE!_

Almost shoving her body weight against his chest, Peagan slammed her palms down again – and this time dirty water gushed over the edges of Rui's mouth. And he started coughing.

Barely aware that she was laughing hysterically, Peagan pulled Rui forward and let him rest on her shoulder, hoping the new angle would promote the outward flow of water. But after a few more heaving coughs, Rui's breathing steadied and she became aware that he wasn't going to regain consciousness any time soon.

Peagan started laughing again, still rather hysterical, and tried three or four times to climb up the embankment, only to slide back down. She couldn't get herself halfway up, let alone haul Rui to the top as well. And the road was elevated like this for a mile or so on either side. So, instead of trying to go up or around, Peagan secured Rui as best she could onto her back, wrapping his arms over her shoulders and around her neck so she could hold him there, fastened, and drag him into the woods.

_Because there's a lake out here_, she knew. _A lake and an old tool shed. I have to get Rui out of the storm and into that tool shed._

It was farther to the left than she had remembered, but thirty minutes later (she was sure it shouldn't have taken that long normally), Peagan was dragging Rui by the shoulders of his jacket across the ground (having grown too hunched over carrying him on her back) and through the door of the shed. It had a few leaks, but those were mostly over the rickety shelves and rusty tools, and the floor was rough and a bit rotted but dry. Peagan was even ecstatic to discover that one dry shelf was home to three or four pairs of patched up overalls and hunting camo.

With just enough sense returning to her to make her blush, Peagan stripped off Rui's jacket, shirt, pants, socks, and shoes and did her best not to ogle as she hurriedly slid the cameo pants up his legs and buttoned them around his waist. She hung his clothes up from the shelves after she discovered there was no shirts or jackets, and then draped another pair of pants over his torso.

She scrambled out of her clothes, trying not to look at Rui's pale, calm face. Because every time she did, she grew scared and panicked and kept seeing her mother's profile overlapping his from her final days in that padded box-

Hanging up her jeans, tee, and socks, Peagan placed her boots next to Rui's shoes and pulled an overly large pair of overalls from the shelf. It was the only thing that was going to cover her bra – which, she was revealed to remember, was one of her sport bras and thus rather covering in and of itself – so she stepped into them, fastening the straps as short as they would go and still finding the outfit on the baggy side.

But better than her wet clothes, and that was all she was asking.

After a thought, Peagan draped the last pair of pants over Rui, covering as much of him as possible, and tied the other around her own shoulders for just a bit more warmth. Summer storm or not, it was the middle of the night, it was freezing cold, and she had just been soaking wet.

She debated on whether she should have given Rui those pants as a pillow, but in the end decided to put herself to good use – to keep her from pacing and thinking and freaking out again, if nothing else – and be his lap pillow.

* * *

When Rui woke up, he could still hear the thunder rumbling, hear the rain pelting a tin roof, and see lighting flashing through the cracks in the walls and two square, sorry excuses for windows. And when one flash illuminated a pale face and dark hair looming over him, he immediately threw himself sideways – and into an old plow wheel.

His back started stinging, and that, of course, woke up all the rest of the pain and soreness that was in his body. He still couldn't move his left arm very well, and his right was stiff and aching. Blood had soaked through his right pant leg – a pant leg belonging to a pair of pants that weren't his. Now that was weird.

He looked up finally, to see the other pairs of pants he'd scattered when he'd bolted sideways and That Woman, leaned up against the wall and apparently asleep.

...and not wearing a shirt.

With so much running through his head at the moment, Rui wasn't sure how he felt about that.

But once he was able to stop his gaze from concentrating on that fact, Rui realized she was covered in scratches and mud, her hair wild and matted and dirty. One hand on his head told him he looked much the same. That was when he remembered the road.

And the rain.

And the curve.

And the ditch.

And the water.

Rui's first thought was basically _how on earth did that little thing pull a motorcycle off of me?_ But whether he could believe it or not, that had to have been what happened, because it didn't take a very big exploration of their small shelter to figure out no one else was around. Not that he could stand up to explore it physically. Rui had known the soreness that came with overexertion during training. This constant pulsing of hot pain through his limbs, however, felt more like he'd be in an all out, all night brawl. And had lost.

It wasn't until he wished he could lay down on a soft pillow and sleep it off that he realized he'd been doing precisely that before he'd awoken – only his pillow had been That Woman's lap.

He stared at her blankly for a few minutes, gears turning in his head.

_...should I...lay back down? On her lap? _

She was obviously okay with it, as that was how he woke up meaning she must have put him there originally!

But now that he'd woken up, would she expect him to move?

_...Of course, she doesn't know I woke up, so if I laid back down, it won't be a big deal._

And it was only because he was aching all over that he wanted to lay on her lap. It didn't have anything to do with...anything else.

_What else would there be?_

It was painful, but he bit his lip so as not to make a sound (because a real man didn't show pain...and he didn't want to wake The Woman) and shifted into position in front of her, leaning back into her lap. It was warm and comfortable, as opposed to the cold of the room and the wood floor.

It didn't take long for him to feel himself relax, for the pain to ease slightly, and to let his senses calm back down so he could debate on whether he wanted to sleep or not. It was a rather stupid question. He _wanted_ to sleep very much. But...sleeping in a girl's lap, even The Woman's, was just..._weird_.

But there was no denying it was extremely comfortable, which, in and of itself, was a loud warning to Rui. He was a gang leader – being comfortable usually meant being vulnerable, and thus weak. The only time he really allowed himself the indulgence was when he was with his brother.

Rui could remember being the oddly tall, gangly boy he had been, and sitting atop his brother's shoulder like it was his throne. Tokage was Rui's opposite in almost every way, every since he could remember: he was large. He was loud. He was powerful. And he was a leader.

But envy was never something Rui harbored towards his brother. Tokage had been his idol, his hero, and his mentor. And when he had grown up, he'd wanted to do the same thing his brother loved: Play American Football.

But that passion wasn't just Tokage's legacy in him anymore. Somewhere along the way, Rui had fallen in love with the game. It was his world now.

Thoughts of Football combined with a very nice pillow did succeed in making Rui feel very, very...good. Relaxed. And...

...sleepy...

* * *

Rui was dead.

Dead.

Drowned.

Pneumonia.

Murdered in the night.

It didn't matter how.

He wasn't breathing.

She couldn't move.

As much as her mind was screaming to help him, to _make _him breathe again, her body was locked.

Helplessly, she stared down at his lifeless form and sobbed in excruciating silence.

When Peagan woke up, she heaved forward, barely catching herself inches from crushing Rui's head. With no time to do anything else, she leaned sideways and retched as far from Rui as she could make her neck stretch without toppling the guy off her lap.

Expelling the sick from her stomach didn't make her feel any better, and as soon as her passage was clear she started to cough uncontrollably. Her throat burned and ached from all the work, and she felt like she was choking on the lingering taste of the bile she'd thrown up.

"Oi, you alright?"

Suddenly, a warm hand clenched her shoulder, while another slammed into her back. Her chest jerked at the pressure, and she was pleased to find the coughing stopped. Reaching up, she immediately started to wipe her mouth, scrub at her tongue, and spit like crazy, wanting the wretched taste of puke _gone_.

Beside her, Rui still had a hold on her shoulder, staring at her worriedly.

The irony of him worrying about her when he was the one who had almost died in a motorcycle accident made Peagan bust out into a fit of rather hysteric giggles that she worked hard to silence instantly.

"I-I'm fine." She stammered, trying not to sound like a complete idiot. She had the feeling she was failing miserably. "Are _you_ okay?"

Rui stared at her for a moment with the most incredulous look on his face, and Peagan didn't know what she had done to put it there. And then Rui scowled.

"I _knew_ it! You _do_ speak Japanese, you little-" he continued on in a grumbling tirade, his fists clenched, glaring at her, for some time. Peagan was rather impressed at his colorful vocabulary – though she had heard most of it all before, as this wasn't the first time she'd ticked him off (although she had had to look most of them up in her Japanese dictionary the first few days she'd known Rui, as her mother had never been quite so expressive with her language and thus Peagan had never heard them before).

Peagan figured the fact that she couldn't wipe the huge smile off her face wasn't helping matters. But she couldn't _not_ smile. He was growling at her, calling her names, angry about how she had pretended to not speak his language – all this after such a close brush with death.

He was fine.

Rui was going to be just fine.

Rui's mouth snapped shut, his face instantly taking on a look of bewilderment, and Peagan laughed as she found herself once again trying to figure out what she did.

"Oh, come on, Woman! I've insulted you worse over the past week, don't start this sissy crap with me!"

_Sissy crap? ...oh. I'm crying again._ "S-sorry." She stuttered, knocking herself in the head playfully. "Um, you're probably just gonna have to deal with my girly, emotional sissy-crap for a few minutes, okay? I'm too happy to see you're not half dead to control myself at the moment."

* * *

Rui stared at her crooked smile, red, wet eyes, and the overall look of absolute relief and _joy_ on her face and felt like he'd been punched in the gut. Hard.

She was crying her eyes out, laughing (and, from the sound of it, burning her throat in the process – the girl had just hurled onto the floor and suffered a coughing fit, after all. Laughing could not be good for her), and was apparently in such an ecstatic mood because _he was okay_. It was for him, for his safety, for his well-being. All of _this_-

She smiled up at him rather abashedly, like she realized what she was doing was embarrassing them both, but unable to help herself. She brought her hand up and wiped her eyes with her wrist, grinning at him like a madwoman.

A hundred different thoughts were tearing through him faster than his lineman through a enemy defense, and he didn't know what to do with any of them. He was mostly floored by how much she seemed to really _care _about him. Another part of him was baffled at this dumb little thought buzzing in the back ground that was insisting, in a very unmanly, whimsical voice that _she looked_ _so beautiful right now_ _(despite smelling a bit off)_. A similar voice had him wanting to grab he and yank her to him. But the rolling of nausea (and yet, not a bad nausea, oddly enough) in the pit of his stomach had him practically frozen to the floor, despite his legs screaming under him and the ache in his arm (he really shouldn't have grabbed her shoulder with it, though he was glad to find he could move it at all - it wasn't broken).

Drying up a bit, she set her hands in front of her, leaning forward slightly. Rui was once again struck by how much she looked like a cat. "S-so, h-how are y-you f-feeling, huh?" She asked tentatively, as if realizing he might think her insane.

_I'm feeling a million different things right now, none of which I am _ever_ going to voice out loud, _he decided instantly. This whole situation was just too...pathetic? Wimpy? He didn't know! It was just _weird_!

"Fine." He finally snapped, frustrated with himself.

"Oh." Flinching back slightly, she nodded. "O-Of course, I mean, s-sorry. Dumb question."

_What kind of reaction was that?!_ Rui wondered, on alert. Normally, she had snappy comebacks, haughty smirks, or some other way to infuriate him. So why did she look like a freaking kicked puppy? And why did he feel like the one who kicked her?

He'd kicked people (and puppies, too, come to think of it) before, and he'd never felt so..._ashamed _of himself as he did now.

"Look, I'm aching all over, beaten, bruised, and all scrapped up. There, happy? It ain't nothing I haven't been before, or won't be again. Doesn't bother me." His clarification, mostly done to wipe that sad look off her face, still came out harsher than he figured a girl merited, but Rui just didn't do 'tender' or 'apologetic,' darn it, and he wasn't going to start for this girl.

But he was secretly surprised (and pleased, though pleased was a strong word for it) when she looked up at him and smiled a little, nodding. "Yeah, got it. My bad."

A bit of her old haughtiness was back, and Rui found himself grinning in relief. "Good. Don't need no pity from some chick. Habashira Rui can take care of himself, hear?"

Now she was smirking. "Pardon me, Habashira-sama, I forget my place. Please, allow me to bask in your awesomeness for a bit longer, sir, so that I may know what it's like to be in the presence of someone so cool. Especially after I just fished him out of a ditch."

Rui practically hissed at her, a scowl taking over his features. Inside, he was reveling in the banter, glad to be back in his element – which was most certainly not crying girls. "I was handling it."

"You _weren't breathing_." Her voice suddenly hitched again, and Rui realized this was not a good subject to be on if he wanted things to go back to normal. But this realization came too late, it seemed, as another tear slipped out of her eye and she forced them shut, trying to stem another flood. "You were just...floating there..." she trailed off, her voice barely a whisper. She looked up at him again, eyes wide and wet and so frightened that he couldn't stop looking at her, even though he wanted to _so badly_.

She opened her mouth, like she was going to continue, and Rui knew he could _not _handle anymore. Reaching forward, he palmed her head roughly with his hand, forcing her head – and those big, green eyes – down. "Just stop it! I said I was fine, alright? I'm fine! No problem, nothing wrong, you got me, I'm here, okay? So just...just _stop it_."

He'd meant it to be harsh, to be final and to stop all this crying and worrying nonsense, really. But it hadn't come out like that. No, it sounded more like he was begging.

And maybe, he thought awkwardly, maybe he was.

Beneath his wrist, her hair parted slightly as she moved. Tilting her head up just a bit, just enough, she revealed one shining eye to him, wide and innocent, her mouth a small "O" of a lost exclamation or of surprise or-

The "O" slipped into the smallest of smiles, lighting up her face with a tender expression.

His hand moved down slowly, feeling her wet, matted hair as if it were silk (it normally looked like it, though it looked more like a cow patty at the moment) as it slid out of the way so he could see the whole of her face, all of that expression – the soothing one, the confident one, the peaceful one, meant only for him (why did he think that? It couldn't be right). He found his hand pausing beside her face as she leaned into it, pushing her cheek into his palm, her eyes closing contentedly.

He'd meant to drop that hand, darn it. But now – now he just _couldn't _move it...

_A cat_, he thought haltingly (his brain didn't seem to be working as fast as it was supposed to, which was even weirder because his heart was going way faster than it normally did), scratching the back of her neck slightly with his fingers.

Lithe and sensual.

She rubbed her smooth skin in her hand, tingling his nerves. He'd never felt _anything _so soft. His thumb rubbed beneath her eye, and she opened the one on the other side halfway, watching him lazily. A lump rose and froze in his throat.

Poised and exaggerated.

She leaned forward, letting her face slip from his hand and run down his arm as she stepped, on her hands and knees, towards him, closing the small distance with the entirety of her body. The baggy overalls tightened at the movement, accenting her every curve – all of which he could see, whether he looked down (_she's still not wearing a shirt!_) or behind her (he needed to move his hand away, _quick_, before it left denim and hit skin – or worse, _just kept going down the length of the denim_).

Arrogant and companionable.

He brought his hand back to catch himself, as she had gotten so close he'd started to back up – only to find that not really possible with one of her hand on his knee. The other was reaching for him. He was aware (and not proud of) the ragged breathe he let out when she touched him, cupping his face.

Cats.

_Her._

His mind went completely blank when her eyes closed inches from his face. He knew what was coming, any man would. He'd be an idiot not to, and yet he wasn't doing anything about it. ...was he supposed to? Did he even want to?

This Woman...

Her lips lightly grazed his, catching on his bottom and dragging up to touch the top, tantalizing, teasing. His eyes started to droop.

..._his _woman?

* * *

She'd been dying to do this, she really had. Peagan hadn't realized just how much until he'd placed his hand on her head, and she looked up to see his eyes. He'd looked like he was almost _scared_ – scared of her tears, her worry, her affection and care. Lost, confused.

She'd wanted to hold him, pull him to her _so bad_. Instead, she'd done _this_. She'd kissed him. Oh heavens above, she was kissing him – and he tasted _so good_.

It didn't matter that not five minutes ago she'd thrown up (she really hoped she didn't taste gross), or that he'd almost drowned in mud hours ago, and that they were both coated in dirt and neither wearing a shirt, on the floor of an old, damp, and dirty woodshed. She let her fingers loose themselves in his hair, not caring about the tangles or twigs. She kept most of her body weight on her knees, knowing his leg, where her hand had rested before, was injured. She even decided to rise up, hovering above him slightly so he had to tilt his head up to continue the kiss – and, to her delight, he did just that – and placed her palm on his other cheek, holding his face between her hands while she tenderly, slowly, kissed him. Again and again and again she kissed him, piling them one after the other.

After a minute (and _oh_, what a minute, Peagan almost moaned) he flinched under her. She paused but didn't pull away, waiting for the inevitable rejection and not willing to give up a second earlier. But instead she only felt his ragged breathing on her face before he swallowed and licked his lips, causing her to suck in her own breathe. Her eyes slid open just as his hands made contact with the bare skin of her sides.

He cleared his throat as their eyes met, and Peagan was amazed at how something so mundane could sound so sexy. The air felt supercharged around her, her whole body tense with a feeling she'd only had in her dreams (the only place she'd ever dared to think about him like this) and she wondered how long it could last.

She wanted to laugh at how absurd it was. This was _Rui_, after all. The guy _still _didn't know her name! What on earth did she think she was doing?

She smirked, berating herself. But Rui didn't know that, and he grinned right with her, suddenly looking less lost and more confident, more like his old self. Which was the one she'd fallen in love with in the first place, because, darn it all, the cocky jerk was sexy and funny, comforting in his strength and compelling.

It wasn't the time, but she couldn't help it. Peagan was shaking with laughter, and she shrunk down, resting her head in the crook of his neck while she tried to get the fit out of herself. _She was in love with him._

"Rui, do you even know what my name is?" She finally asked, still giggling into his skin. He gave off a great heat that she was basking in, having not realized how cold it was until she'd felt his warmth.

"Eh? Er, nah. I don't."

Her fit renewed, Peagan raised up to meet his eyes. He was looking confused again, and a tad bit offended. Where did that come from? Oh, never mind, he almost always looked like that around her, anyway. "Jeez, Rui, you should at least know the name of the girl who saved your life."

_And you'd kissed._

He let out a low growl that reminded her of a peeved dog that wouldn't degrade itself to whimper – even though it wanted to. "Not my fault. In case you forgot, woman, this is kinda the first time you've talked to me."

Peagan smirked. "Talked? Is that what we're doing?"

She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he balked, turning red quicker than she'd ever seen anyone do. "T-that– wha– you– you started this!"

"That I did." Peagan affirmed, her expression softening a bit now. Leaning forward again, she sighed into Rui's chest. "I'm just so glad your alive." Noticing him stiffen in her arms, she rose up again, determined to lighten the mood she'd just dampened. "And did I mention you're freaking hot? I think it's worth mentioning."

"Jeez, woman," Rui growled, looking both pleased and embarrassed. "What the heck is wrong with you?"

_Probably a lot, seeing as I'm crazy about you._

"It's not 'woman,'" she chided playfully. "It's Peagan. Think you can remember that?"

He was still looking at her like she was crazy, but he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Pidgeon."

"Peagan."

"That's what I said!"

"You're just-" deciding against correcting him again, Peagan smiled, rolled her own eyes, and kissed him again.

* * *

Rui was still pretty sore and beaten up, but when the rain stopped they were off and, though he complained the entire time, his arm was slung over the Woman – _Peagan's_ – shoulder while they stumbled through the soggy field. He tried to view her as a crutch, just inanimate metal, and not as a person who was (curse it all) _helping _him.

She was grating on his nerves by the time they reached the road. Not only was she coddling him ("here, put your weight more on me," "let me move that so you don't trip," "watch out for that gopher hole"), being utterly insensitive to his injuries ("shut up or I'll break your arm for real," "what are you complaining about, I thought you'd been worse?," "Don't make me drop your crippled rear!"), and randomly bursting into _giggle-fits_ (it hurt his manly pride just _thinking _the word), but she was also utterly and insufferably gorgeous, sweet, spunky, and heck if he didn't enjoy it every time she kissed him (which she had taken to doing quite often, as it seemed to be her solution to every problem that was Rui. Couldn't make him shut up? Kiss him. He hurt himself while walking? Kiss him. Arguing with no compromise in the foreseeable future? Kiss him. Sometimes she even did it for no reason at all that he could tell. Maybe she just thought it had been quiet too long or something. The girl was a freak).

Okay, so maybe 'grating on his nerves' wasn't the right phrase here. She was plainly driving him crazy. Yeah, that suited it better. Shouldn't the man be the one kissing his woman?

_She is NOT. MY. WOMAN. _He scolded himself for the umpteenth time. He was getting really tired of telling himself that. And she was making it hard for him to even believe it anymore, because it really seemed like she belonged there, at his side, holding onto him. She acted like she did.

Did she think she was?

Ulg, he was going to drive himself up the wall thinking like this! He didn't know _anything _about women or _dating_-

He almost physically recoiled at the thought. Was that were this was leading? _Dating?_

He glanced down at Peagan's face, and found she was watching his feet carefully, making sure he didn't further injure himself as they made their way up the slick hillside. It wasn't an easy feat and he was hurting himself with all his slips and falls and dragging her down with him, but he just couldn't keep his mind on task.

_I've never had a girlfriend before..._

_And some half-bred American brat is _not _a good place to start looking for one! We don't even live on the same continent!_

He growled and, with determination fueled by annoyance, he lifted them both out of the mud and, ignoring the sharp, shooting pains up his leg, charged them both up the embankment, planting his feet in the mud and throwing his body-weight into the rush. Peagan made a squeak of surprise at his side, and slipped as she was dragged along, but soon enough they both hit flat earth and toppled – painfully – onto the blacktop.

Rui knew this was really not a good place to collapse, but he wasn't getting up just yet. Face firmly planted on the rough pavement, he continued to gasp for breath while trying to not appear as exhausted as he felt.

Beside him, Peagan lifted up. "Hey, we're not far from the crash sight. I think I can see flashing lights!"

Great, more people to witness his bought with weakness, he thought bitterly. He didn't want to be rescued, he wanted to pick up his bike and ride back, then yell at someone. That would make him feel better.

But all the same, he struggled up, putting his elbows down in front of his face and pushing. Peagan was there in a heartbeat.

"Hey, if you need a minute, take it. I know you're gonna want to walk over there, so just sit here and buck up for a second, alright?"

She helped him roll over so he could prop up in a sitting position, and he was just too tired to object to anything she said or did. She was right anyway. There was no way he would sit here, waiting to be found, nor would he hobble over there with her half carrying him. He did need a moment.

How was it that she seemed to know him so well? Especially when he figured he knew squat about her. Heck, he'd only learned her name like half an hour ago.

"Not a word about any of this-this-" Rui struggled with what he was getting at. The kissing? The helping? The kissing?

But, again, Peagan seemed to know him just as well, if not better, than he knew himself. She smirked. "Yeah, yeah. Rui: big, strong, and macho. Peagan: just along for the ride. Nothing happened, uneventful night. No Rui didn't almost drown in a mud puddle, tis a flesh wound-"

She was _giggling _again, and Rui was not at all sure he was getting what was so funny. But he chose to just forget the new complication in his life and follow said advice; take a moment, gather his strength. He was going to walk over to that search party all on his own even if it killed him.

She sat there beside him, humming lightly, while he gathered himself. And, despite the flashing lights and sirens all of a hundred feet down the road, just sitting there beside her was extremely relaxing. The fog made them invisible to the search team, but the lights they were shining made the search team stand out like a beacon. They could take their time, as it would be easy to tell when the team started moving on.

He tried not to think of anything while he rested, but he couldn't help it. His mind always drifted back over to her, trying to figure out what was between them and what he was going to do about it. And, after a few more confusing minutes that sorted almost nothing out, he gave up trying. "Are we dating?"

He all but snapped the question, but Peagan didn't seem to mind his temper. In fact, she was grinning, that feline grin that made him feel like he was a mouse being toyed with – and despite the fact he hated being toyed with, the apprehension he felt didn't have anything to do with anger.

"I'd like that."

"I'm going back to Japan when this camp is over." It sounded almost like a challenge.

She took it as such. "I've always wanted to go to my mother's home country. I've got a college fund saved up I haven't used, you know."


End file.
